Magnet of hope: Dominicans anchor French Quarter revival

Published: 2006-03-08

NEW ORLEANS (CNS) -- Nestled in the heart of the famously rowdy French Quarter of New Orleans is an oasis of learning and discipline, run by Dominican nuns from a congregation based in Nashville, Tenn., and catering to some of the city's most at-risk children. Cathedral Academy is a spiritual presence in an area struggling to be reborn in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. The sisters, in their unmistakable black-and-white habits, "don't have to say a word to proclaim God," said Sister Mary Rose Bingham, principal of Cathedral Academy, the parish school of St. Louis Cathedral. Several years ago New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes recruited the Dominican Sisters to run the elementary school, not only for their teaching skills but particularly for the prayerful witness they give to people, said Sister Mary Rose. "Maybe every city needs it," she said, and maybe none as much as the fragile city of New Orleans. The Dominicans are working hard to provide some of the displaced and disheartened families of New Orleans with some stability in their lives.

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